INWOOD, WV, March 22, 2001 California, long-recognized as a major pace-setter for the rest of the nation, has recently taken the lead in a dynamic new area--library automation.
Increasingly, libraries of all sizes and types in the state are turning to a comprehensive solution that simplifies procedures for librarian and patron alike. Developed by TLC/CARL, the powerful system incorporates a Windows NT operating system, an Oracle database and Intel-compatible hardware, all in an efficient Web-based platform that allows for easier cataloging, circulation and access to online resources. Called Library.Solution, the product has become one of the fastest-growing automation systems of its type in the world--in use by more than 1,000 libraries--and recently has been selected by 16 library systems in California.
The latest organization in the state to adopt Library.Solution is Siskiyou County Public Library, located in Yreka, California. Siskiyou serves a rural population, with an annual circulation of approximately 220,000. In making the purchase, Siskiyou joins a growing number of fellow members of the North State Cooperative Library System -- a library cooperative consisting of 13 libraries in Northern California -- in converting to Library.Solution.
The Siskiyou agreement calls for installation of 20 workstations within the main library site and its 10 branches and unlimited public access catalog (PAC) usage for its approximately 60 browser terminals. Installation is scheduled to be complete by June.
According to Pat Harper, Library Director at Siskiyou, the decision to migrate to Library.Solution from a PAC on a local area network was driven by several key factors, notably customer service. “TLC has been very open to customizing the system for our specific needs,” stated Ms. Harper. “In fact, while they were here to demo the product, they tailored a software enhancement to list individual libraries -- a function our current PAC could not perform.”
Ms. Harper also pointed to several additional aspects that helped firm her library's decision. An essential element was TLC's newly introduced “YouSeeMore” a personalized web portal that enables patrons and library staff to search the online public access catalog (OPAC) to “see” book jackets, view tables of contents, and access reviews. In addition, Ms. Harper noted that it was important to utilize an automation system that is Windows NT-based, operates cost-efficiently, and is delivered by a vendor that has extensive experience in designing solutions for public libraries.
